Effects of hypoxia on principal prey and growth of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in Funka Bay, Japan

ABSTRACT:   Effects of hypoxia on the principal prey and growth of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius were studied in Funka Bay. Of the three dominant year-classes that occurred in recent years, the 1995 year-class was small in total length at age ≥ 3 and low in condition factor at age ≥ 2. Ophiuroids (almost Ophiura sarsi ), which were the dominant prey in the 1980s, were of little importance and instead, crustaceans such as mysids, natant decapods and pelagic amphipods, bivalves and fish were important prey items for H. dubius in 2000–2001. In addition, the feeding intensity of H. dubius in 2000–2001 was lower than that in the 1980s. These facts are closely related to a reduction of prey abundance, particularly ophiuroids. It seems that the hypoxia that occurred in the central part of the bay during the summer and autumn of 1995–1997 caused the poor food supply and low growth rate at ages 2–4 of the 1995 year-class.     

Improved growth of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in hypoxic waters in Funka Bay,Japan

To identify the factors that influence the growth rate of flathead flounder Hippoglossoides dubius in Funka Bay, Japan, we studied temporal changes in the growth of this species and its prey from 1989 to 2012. The lowest growth rate of H. dubius was recorded in the 1995 year-class, which had experienced severe hypoxia between 1995 and 1997. However, the highest growth rate was recorded in the 2007 year-class, which had experienced hypoxia between 2009 and 2011. In 2000 and 2001, small-sized flounder (<200 mm TL) from the 1995 year-class were feeding on mysidaceans, whereas those from other year-classes fed on small Ophiura spp. (<9 mm in disc diameter) in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Small Ophiura spp. were more abundant in 2007 and 2011 than in 2002 and 2003. Successful recruitment of Ophiura spp. took place between 2007 and 2011 and cohorts from these years could tolerate hypoxia. This suggests that food availability improved under hypoxic conditions, which led to improved growth in small flounders. Large flounders (≥200 mm TL) from all year-classes fed on prickleback fishes (Stichaeidae) and walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus juveniles. The growth of large flounders was enhanced by an increase in the abundance of Stichaeidae fishes and G. chalcogrammus juveniles.     

Spawning grounds and reproductive traits of anadromous and resident pond smelt, Hypomesus nipponensis, in Lake Ogawara, Japan

SUMMARY: The objective of this study was to reveal the spawning grounds and reproductive characteristics of anadromous and resident pond smelt, Hypomesus nipponensis , coexisting in Lake Ogawara. Life history styles of females shedding in spawning grounds in the lake and its inflowing rivers were differentiated by otolith increment analysis. Size, dry weight, and water content of mature oocytes and fecundity of fish were compared between resident and anadromous fish. Both anadromous and resident fish spawned in the lake. In contrast, no resident fish were found in any of the inflowing rivers, where only anadromous fish spawned. Regression of fecundity against standard length was discontinuous with an inflection point at 63.8 mm, which is the body size that differentiates large anadromous spawning groups from small resident spawning groups. Mean oocyte diameters were not significantly different between resident and anadromous fish. The eggs of resident fish had significantly more water content and a significantly lower dry weight than those of anadromous fish. These differences might influence the growth and developmental processes of progeny.     

Food organisms and feeding habits of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus at Ohama Beach in Hiuchi-Nada, the central Seto Inland Sea, Japan

ABSTRACT:   The abundance of food organisms and feeding habits of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder were examined during the period from May to August in 1999, 2000 and 2001 at the sandy Ohama beach, the central Seto Inland Sea. The food organisms collected with a sledge net consisted of 40 families from 18 orders, dominated by mysids, crangonids and gammarids. The mean densities of mysids, crangonid shrimp ( Crangon spp.), gammarids and fish were 2.74, 6.74, 2.91 and 0.15 individuals/m², respectively. The main prey of the flounder ( n  = 202; range of total length 9.80–75.95 mm) was mysids and small crangonid shrimp (<14 mm in body length). Prey fish availability was low, as the density of fish was low. The small crangonid shrimp was abundant, and the large crangonid shrimp, which could prey on larval flounder, was not abundant. The crangonid shrimp was important not as a predator for the flounder but as prey. The flounder preferred epifaunal mysids, Nipponomysis ornata and Anisomysis ijimai , to sand-burrowing mysids, Iiella oshimai , and avoided crangonid shrimp.     

Daily rations and food availability of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus,small flounder Tarphops oligolepis and sand goby Favonigobius gymnauchen at a sandy beach in the central Seto Inland Sea,Japan

ABSTRACT:     To estimate the daily rations of Paralichthys olivaceus , Tarphops oligolepis and Favonigobius gymnauchen and to clarify diel variation in food availability to them, diel sampling was conducted over a 24-h period at a sandy beach in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The mean total length and body weight (BW) of P. olivaceus , T. oligolepis and F. gymnauchen were 32.6 mm (0.35 g), 23.7 mm (0.13 g) and 50.2 mm (1.03 g), respectively. The mean stomach contents index and percentages of stomachs with food were high during the day but low at night, indicating that these species are day-feeders. Paralichthys olivaceus and F. gymnauchen consumed mainly mysids and crangonids, whereas T. oligolepis fed chiefly on mysids. The estimated mean daily rations (95% confidence intervals) for P. olivaceus , T. oligolepis and F. gymnauchen made with the bootstrap method were 18.1 (9.3–31.3)%BW, 13.2 (7.9–24.3)%BW and 3.7 (1.7–7.4)%BW, respectively. Mysids were more abundant in the near-bottom layer during the day than at night, but the opposite was true for crangonids.     

Occurrence and distribution of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus at sandy beaches in eastern Hiuchi-Nada, central Seto Inland Sea, Japan

ABSTRACT:   The occurrence and distribution of larval and juvenile Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and major demersal fish from May to September were examined at seven sandy beaches at the central Seto Inland Sea. The flounder appeared from late May to August and were mainly collected at a depth of 2–5 m. Settlement of larval flounder was seen from late May to late June. A total of 6412 individuals of 17 species representing 12 families were collected in the study area. The dominant fish species were Favonigobius gymnauchen (56.0%), Tarphops oligolepis (8.1%), Rudarius ercodes (7.8%), P. olivaceus (7.3%), Repomucenus spp. (7.0%) and Heteromycteris japonica (3.3%). The catches of flounder differed among beaches and months. The number of flounder in June at Ohama Beach, where the most flounder were collected, was 22.6 individuals per haul (400 m²). The density of the flounder correlated negatively to that of F. gymnauchen .     

黄海北部辽宁近岸海域鳀产卵场分布特征及其影响因素

为掌握黄海北部辽宁近岸海域鳀(Engraulis japonicus)产卵场的分布特征及其关键环境因子,基于2021年4—12月开展的产卵场综合调查获取的鳀样品及其鱼卵密度数据,运用Garrison重心分布法阐释鳀产卵洄游分布特征及其主产卵期;通过基于Tweedie分布的广义可加模型(generalized additive model, GAM)的构建,分析主产卵期内鳀卵密度与同步获取的海水表层温度(SST)、海水表层盐度(SSS)、海水表层叶绿素浓度(Chla)、浮游动物丰度(Fd)、浮游植物丰度(Fz)和深度(Depth)等6个环境因子,以及时间(月份,Month)和空间(经纬度、Lon和Lat)因子之间关系,并识别主控因子。结果显示,海域内鳀产卵期较长,由4月持续至11月,5—8月为主产卵期,其中,5—6月为产卵盛期。鳀产卵场规模和位置时空变化明显,时空因子与鳀卵密度分布呈密切非线性相关(累积偏差解释率为48.1%),(SST, SSS) (18.7%)和Depth (5%)次之。鳀产卵期适温范围较广,产卵场分布表现出高温高盐(低温低盐)增效作用和高温低盐限制作用。产卵初期(4月),鳀产卵场规模和鱼卵密度均较低,产卵重心位于海洋岛东南侧深水区;盛期(5月底—6月初)在SST主导下,鳀产卵场规模和鱼卵密度均至年内最高值,核心产卵场位于石城岛–庄河河口一带海域;此后,随着辽南沿岸水系盐度的下降,高温低盐的抑制作用使SSS因素主导产卵鱼群避开沿岸海域,鳀产卵场迁移至外海深水区,7月后位于30~50 m等深线之间;9—10月鳀繁殖活动基本结束,10月鳀卵仅零星分布于调查海域,直至12月未有鳀卵采获。研究可为黄海北部辽宁近岸海域鳀产卵场研究及鳀资源合理开发利用提供参考依据。     

Recent changes in the spawning grounds of Black Sea anchovy,Engraulis encrasicolus

Towards the end of the 1980s, when the spawning grounds in the northwestern shelf (NWS) of the Black Sea were lingering with the effects of eutrophication and of an exotic invasive ctenophore, a series of basin‐wide international ichthyoplankton surveys pointed out an increase in the anchovies spawning in the southern half of the Black Sea. Later, with the help of international conservation efforts, several key littoral ecosystem components within the anchovy's historical spawning grounds showed signs of recovery. However, the fate of the spawning stock anchovy in the south remained unanswered. In order to present the current situation in the southern Black Sea after two decades, an ichthyoplankton survey adopting the same methodology as previously used was undertaken during the peak spawning season of the Black Sea anchovy (BSa). The survey showed that the density of eggs was by far greater than for any of the surveys conducted previously. A wider geographical distribution of the eggs indicated an increase in the number of vagrants which had drifted away from the known spawning grounds. In contrast, the increased reproductive activity in the south signifies existence of a growing, non‐migrating southern BS stock. This stock seems to utilize the coastal hydrographic features associated with the rim current facilitating escape (loophole) from gelatinous predators such as Mnemiopsis leidyi and Aurelia aurata.     

The zooplankton biomass in the Sea of Japan

We examined seasonal, annual variation and horizontal distribution of zooplankton in the Sea of Japan from 1966 to 1990. Zooplankton was most abundant in the spring. The spring maximum appeared in February–March and in April–May in the southern and eastern parts of the study areas, respectively. In the summer and autumn, a secondary peak was most conspicuous in the eastern part. The difference between the estimated biomass at night and day was large in the spring and small in summer and autumn. The biomass in the offshore southern area peaked about every 3 years between 1966 and 1983, and increased abruptly in 1990. The density in the area north of 39°N or 40°N was high. Total biomass estimated in the upper 150 m layer in the Sea of Japan (10⁶ km²) was 9.5 × 10⁶ t in the daytime and 16.6 × 10⁶ t at night.     

海洋环境因子对日本海太平洋褶柔鱼渔场时空分布的影响

根据2010—2013年11—12月日本海太平洋褶柔鱼(Todarodes pacificus)的渔获生产数据,并结合遥感获取的海洋环境数据,利用渔获量重心法、地统计插值和数理统计方法,分析了太平洋褶柔鱼的资源丰度与渔获量重心的时空变化及其与主要环境因子(海表温度、叶绿素浓度、海流)之间的关系。研究表明,渔场重心每年稍有差异,经度重心集中在132°20′E附近;纬度重心集中在36°30′N和37°30′N两个位置附近。GAM模型显示,日本海太平洋褶柔鱼渔场的最适海表温度为16~18℃;最适叶绿素a浓度为0.37~0.45 mg/m3。海洋环境与单位捕捞努力渔获量(CPUE)的回归方程的显著性检验表明,除了叶绿素a浓度呈一般显著外,海表温度和空间因子在CPUE上的回归均极显著(P0.01),符合统计意义。4年间渔场的适宜环境范围有所差异,推断主要是日本海海域对马暖流、东朝鲜暖流与里曼寒流相互交汇的强弱作用力引起的,也有不同年份季风的强弱不同以及全球气候变化的因素存在。每一年的渔场海洋环境因子稍有差别,对其资源量的影响巨大。     

南海区驯养条石鲷亲鱼的初次性成熟和产卵

2008年4月初在广东省饶平县对2006年5月人工孵化和培育的2龄条石鲷（ Oplegnathus fasciatus）成熟亲鱼进行激素诱导,研究和观察条石鲷亲鱼初次性成熟的繁殖生物学。结果显示,在南海区全人工养殖的条石鲷亲鱼初次性成熟年龄为2龄,成熟亲鱼的最小型为全长245 mm、体质量610 g,最大个体为全长300 mm、体质量1450 g;产卵季节为4月10日~7月15日,产卵盛期为4月中旬至6月下旬;为升温产卵型鱼类,产卵温度为20.0~28.8℃,适宜的产卵温度为20.7~27.6℃;雌、雄亲鱼发育同步,个体大小和成熟年龄差别不大;雌鱼属于一年一次分批产卵类型,产卵期超过3个月;24尾初次性成熟雌性亲鱼的总产卵量为3180.0×104粒,日最高产卵量为341.5×104粒;其产卵量和受精卵质量与水温的变化关系密切,受精卵的浮卵率随温度的变化而变化,在水温相对衡定时,浮卵率相对稳定并维持在80%~95%的较高水平;受精卵平均卵径为（0.860±0.023）mm,油球径为（0.191±0.009）mm。     

Seasonal changes in biomass of macrophytes stranded on Yoro Beach along a sargassacean forest in Wakasa Bay,Sea of Japan

ABSTRACT:   Macrophytes stranded on a beach provide food and habitat for many kinds of animals and play important roles in coastal ecosystems. Macrophytes stranded on a sampling beach (56 m long) along a sargassacean forest (400 m long and 88 m wide) were collected every 10 days from late April 2003 to late May 2004. The weight of macrophytes stranded per meter of beach amounted to 1733 g dry wt/m per year. Sargassacean plants were dominant and constituted 72.9% (1263 g dry wt/m per year) of whole stranded macrophytes. Large numbers of macrophytes were stranded just after heavy winter storms and the maximum weight of stranded macrophytes in winter was 407 g dry wt/m. Stranded macrophytes also increased in May to July; the deterioration period of sargassacean species in this region, and the maximum weight in this period was 233 g dry wt/m. The number of sargassacean plants stranded with holdfast increased only in winter. These results suggest that winter storms have an important role in stranding sargassacean plants at Yoro Beach.     

Causes of walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) recruitment decline in the northern Sea of Japan: implications for stock management

Recruitment of the northern Japan Sea stock (JSS) of walleye pollock has been decreasing since around 1990. In this study, I analyzed the factors causing this decrease in recruitment by investigating the relationship between recruitment, spawning stock biomass (SSB) and environmental factors using a generalized additive model (GAM). GAM fit to the data showed the importance of SSB, sea surface temperature (SST), ocean current strength (Tsushima Warm Current) and wind intensity (Asian monsoon) in determining the recruitment. Of these, the relationship between SSB and recruitment was positive and not negatively density‐dependent. On the other hand, the recruitment was negatively related to SST and ocean current strength, and a dome‐shaped relationship was observed between wind intensity and recruitment. Since around 1990, the values of SST and ocean current strength have mostly been high and that of wind intensity mostly low. In addition, SSB has been decreasing since the late 1990s. It is likely that the recruitment decline of JSS after approximately 1990 has been caused by warm water temperature, strong Tsushima Warm Current and weak Asian monsoon, and that the recent decrease in SSB has amplified this recruitment decline. According to the model’s estimation, a recruitment recovery due to environmental improvement will be highly restricted as long as SSB remains at its current low level. Significant recovery of SSB is urgently needed for JSS.     

Life-history traits of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, in the northeastern Japan Sea during early to mid 1990s

I examined the age, growth, maturity, mortality, and body condition of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma, in the northeastern Japan Sea (northern Japan Sea population) and evaluated their resilience to exploitation. Walleye pollock were collected in pre-spawning (October 1991-1995) and post-spawning (April 1990-1996) seasons. Estimated ages ranged from 3 to 18 years for both sexes. A von Bertalanffy growth model showed that females had longer asymptotic fork length (460 mm) than males (425 mm). Fifty percent of females and males were mature at 348 mm (4.6 years) and 322 mm (3.9 years), respectively. The instantaneous natural mortality rate was estimated to be 0.22. These life-history traits in the northern Japan Sea population were compared to those in the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Japan Pacific populations. As a result, female walleye pollock in this population matured at small body sizes, grew rapidly toward small maximum sizes, and had short reproductive lifespans with low size-specific fecundity and poor body condition. Low prey availability and habitat temperatures are considered as a possible mechanism for the small maximum sizes in this population. The potential rate of population increase of both the northern Japan Sea population and other pollock populations tended to be lower than other exploited populations of non-viviparous marine fishes, suggesting potentially lower resilience to exploitation in this population and walleye pollock populations in general.     

基于鱼卵仔鱼数据的东海中南部日本鲭产卵场分析

利用2016年4—5月在东海中南部海域的调查数据,对该海域日本鲭(Scomber japonicus)鱼卵仔鱼的分布特征进行了研究,并对产卵场的划分展开讨论及提出保护措施和管理建议。结果显示:4月,日本鲭鱼卵仔鱼主要出现在台湾海峡和东海南部海域,出现率均大于25%,但仔鱼在东海南部外海的出现率和丰度均较低,分别为5.00%和0.01个·100m^-3。5月,日本鲭鱼卵仔鱼在台湾海峡的出现率和丰度均显著降低,分别下降至5.88%和0.22个·100m^-3;东海南部外海日本鲭鱼卵仔鱼的出现率和丰度则均显著升高,分别升至50%和36.48个·100m^-3,其中鱼卵集中出现在南部外海,出现率和丰度分别达到了40%和36.46个·100m^-3;东海中部外海从5月开始出现日本鲭鱼卵和仔鱼。结合历史资料,可以判断东海中南部日本鲭产卵场主要有台湾海峡、东海中南部近海、东海南部外海、东海中部外海等4个。日本鲭鱼卵丰度与表层水温呈显著相关关系(R=0.37,P<0.05),与表层盐度无显著相关关系(P>0.0...     

Morphological analysis of a deep-sea whelk <Emphasis Type="Italic">Buccinum tsubai</Emphasis> in the Sea of Japan

ABSTRACT:   Morphometrical analyses were performed on Buccinum tsubai , a deep-sea gastropod found in the Sea of Japan, and morphological differences were examined between the gender and among the four local subpopulations of Hokkaido, Yamagata-Toyama, the Yamato Bank, and San'in which are distinguished by mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis. As a result, sexual dimorphism of B. tsubai was found. Morphological differences were also recognized among four areas which may be related to genetic differences. They are also thought to be associated with the phenotypic plasticity in response to different environmental factors in each area. B. tsubai inhabits the the upper portion of the Sea of Japan Proper Water (UJSPW); and in the UJSPW of the Yamato Basin, nutrients are comparatively abundant and the dissolved oxygen content is low. Such environmental differences may be related to morphological differences among the four areas.